Happy Halloween!

We had a great Halloween week, despite being sick! (She's much better today.) Today she was a GOP elephant! SO SO CUTE!! Thank you MaryEllen for the great costume! And thank you Jenny for the buttons!

Helping Grandma hand out candy. She would say "Hi kids!" and "Bye kids!"

I love this little elephant! We went to a few friends houses and I think she has enough lollipops to last a while now. She was a great sport with the costume even though I'm sure she was hot - it was 70 degrees here! Our next door neighbors especially enjoyed her costume.

Wednesday we went to Barnes and Nobles story hour (I thought she was better at the time). She was a bumblebee - Ava's costume from last year. SO cute! It even had a little stinger!

And here she is with her cousin Eli - he was a Westie!!! I think they're going to be best friends.

Happy Halloween!! Madeleine's in bed, the trick or treaters are gone, the baby's kicking me and Ken and I are going to watch a scary movie :)

Sick!

Let's just say it hasn't been very pleasant around here. Madeleine must have caught a stomach bug, and hasn't kept anything down since Monday (until today.) The washer has been running non stop and I had to borrow my parent's carpet steamer.
Today she's kept everything down, and when she woke up the first thing she said was "I want supper! I want pasta!" She is funny. I have been forcing fluids too and she's been fine.

We went to vote today, and she got an "I Voted" sticker. We need ACORN around here :)
Can you all guess who I voted for? It's a mystery.... ;)

Decision time

I've been thinking about this for a while now. I have decided to make my blog private. Lately I've been getting some rude, anonymous comments, and over 100 hits/day. I have no idea who is reading this and I don't want to put my child in any danger. So if you want to be added to the list, please email me at regs78 at yahoo. If I don't know you, you won't be added. This will happen by Thanksgiving.

Please watch this

And please read these:

Political Endorsement

and

A Word From Cardinal Egan

Then go vote!!!

Bathtime in the sink

Don't ask why she's in the sink. Our tub is ghetto at the moment. Hopefully Ken will be able to fix it this weekend. Good thing she still fits in the sink!

So, this is what she does EVERY bath - pours water on her head over and over and says "I'm ok!"

By the way, Ashley if you're reading this, I'd like to see a picture of Merrin taking a bath in the sink! :)

First Trip to the Children's Museum

We finally made it down to the Indianapolis Children's museum for the first time! I think it's the biggest Children's museum in the country, and it is GREAT for kids! We had a great time - Madeleine loved playing in the water and the sand. I didn't get a picture of her playing in the sand because she decided to show all the other little kids how much FUN it is to pour sand on top of her head. We had to get out of there FAST!
She also liked filling up the wheelbarrow with the fake rocks and moving them around.

More playing in the water. She dumped the water on her head too. What is with that? Every time she plays in water or sand she dumps it on her head!

This was her first carousel ride! She LOVED it. After it was over she said "Again!" We did come back to ride it again and she got to ride a giraffe - she loves giraffes. She was thrilled with the ride and the music.

We had a great time and we're thinking maybe we should ask for a year pass for Christmas!

We have AWESOME friends!

I got all these bags of girl clothes in one day, from two different friends! After sorting it all out during naptime, I have two bags for "Six" (that would be the new baby's nickname), one huge pile of stuff that will fit Madeleine now, and a huge bag that will fit Madeleine later. Also I cleaned out Madeleine's closet and now have a bag to give away. So I actually put the first things in the new baby's room today. By the way, we chose the nickname "Six" or "Sixtus" after the 4th pope before we conceived this baby. It's funny if you know our last name. Remember Madeleine's nickname before she was born was "Snack." Somehow Six seems more appropriate for a boy, but oh well! It's Six until she's born and gets a real name!

Speaking of great friends, we also got a DVD PLAYER in the mail from our good friends, after I mentioned in a post that ours broke. How awesome is that?! And last week my friend gave us a jogging stroller, a little potty seat, and a halloween costume for next year. And they have given us two other strollers, two carseats, the high chair, and lots of toys and books! And people say babies are expensive :)

Niiiiiiiice...

Ken, riding in the elevator with me today: "Boy, you're really starting to sprout!"

More Rally pictures

27,000 people! Really, even though we were so far back, we could see pretty well AND hear everything perfectly. By the way, this venue is where my class of over 800 graduated from high school :)

Probably the last time we'll use the sling - I'm getting too big! And we were supposed to wear red, and hopefully we'll stay a RED state!!
If the kid has a buckle, all is right with the world. (Not to mention the lollipop and two packages of fruit snacks my mom brought her!) I also brought her a bag of green olives for emergencies - olives are probably her VERY favorite food. I know. Weird. And check out her legwarmers - they were PERFECT!
She clapped VERY enthusiastically whenever everyone else did - which was about once every 30 seconds! There were several rowdy guys behind us wearing shirts that said "Nobama. Keep the change." I enjoyed watching them :)
You see that little purple speck right in the front standing at the podium? That is her - and this is as far as my camera can zoom!
For more pictures not involving my kid, see here.

The Rally!

Blogger is being tempermental tonight so I can only add one picture! Anyway this is her outfit, standing in our yard. Sorry it took me so long to post about this - we got home late last night and we were busy all day today. Ken chose the saying on her shirt. Anyway, it was GREAT! There was an estimated 27,000 people there, so we were definitely in the nosebleed section, but that was ok! The atmosphere was so much fun! Madeleine did not take a nap before we got there and fell asleep as soon as we put her in the stroller. We ended up getting in right before the festivities started - they had Aaron Tippin, some country singer sing several songs and get everyone going. Then of course everyone went nuts when Sarah came out! Her speech was fantastic. Madeleine did so great, she clapped and laughed every time everyone else clapped. We got home late and had a very tired little girl today! She was so fun at her very first political rally :) I will definitely try to post more pictures tomorrow!

I can't believe the luck!!

Today, my friend told me she had an extra ticket to go see Sarah Palin in Indy on Friday afternoon. So, I called Ava's mom and asked if she minded if I took her too - Grace has the day off and is going to work with her mom. She said that she really needed Ava to be at her mom's house by 5, but said I could drop her off there early so I could go. SO, then I asked my mom if she wanted to go too - and I assumed Madeleine did not need a ticket. Several of my friends and their kids are going too - the smart ones anyway - haha! I needed another ticket for my mom, so I called the GOP office and they said they had some. After Madeleine's nap we drove over there and got in line. As soon as I walked up, they said I better get in line soon because they were almost out. There were several people who walked up there right around the same time but somehow I got in front of them (and I didn't cut anyone!) So when I got up to the table, they said the only had 5 left! I asked if I could have all of them (I had several friends who wanted to go if I could get a ticket) and they said I could only have 4. So I got 4 out of the last 5 tickets!!! I was so excited and got out of there in a hurry :) Plus they said EVERY single person needed a ticket, even babies. So we were lucky!

SO, I need to make Madeleine a shirt. What should it say?

Here are some options:

Say it ain't so, Joe.

Raised Republican. I can help myself.

You Betcha!

Drill Baby Drill!

Doggonnit, vote for McCain/Palin!

Any other ideas?

Sometimes converts make the best Catholics

My husband is a great example of this. Several of our friends intend to vote for Obama. They are good Catholics and Christians, so of course we were very surprised. He pretty much has the Catholic Voter's Guide memorized, and has been sending it out right and left. In addition, he's been defending his position and arguing their positions point by point in a very clear, concise, and loving way. So I am very proud of him!

Today he wrote an article on facebook for everyone to see. I thought it was great, so I'm going to post it here.

That does it Catholics, Come to your senses!

I've tried hard to be empathetic with my Catholic friends who have managed to reconcile voting for Obama with their faith, but after reading this:

Article

... I can no longer hold my tongue. A serious Catholic is delusional if they think that voting for Obama's social policies (which have historically proven to be not only ineffective, but counterproductive) can somehow balance the travesty that is his record and rhetoric on abortion and embryonic stem cell research. The Catholic Church holds that to enable the evil acts of another, or to refuse to act to prevent them when possible, is a sin. While judgment ultimately belongs to God, I cannot find, nor have I ever heard, a justification for supporting Obama's horrific record on the unborn (and even the born!) as to make voting for him anything other than what it is: a sin. I understand this will upset some of my very good friends. I understand that they believe that serious thought and prayer has led them to believe that taxing the rich (and small businesses), funding government poverty programs, and teaching kids to be radical activists instead of educated young adults somehow make his unquestionably anti-life positions palatable. But the truth (and the truth sometimes hurts) is that they are wrong. And the thousands upon thousands of abortions that will ensue from his election will bear this out.Bottom line: a Catholic may disagree with whether McCain's policies will help the poor more than Obama's, or benefit healthcare more than Obama's, or lead to more jobs than Obama's; but they cannot say that his policies perpetrate evil. Obama on the other hand has clearly espoused an agenda that, through the lens of the Catholic Church, is unequivocally morally repugnant. The election may not turn out like I want (though I will continue to pray otherwise), but I will never, ever, second guess my vote. But I have a strong feeling that a few of my friends, on the other hand, will someday be confessing theirs to a priest.

I'm proud of you, Ken!

A day at the Pumpkin Patch

The kid LOVES pumpkins. She was thrilled to be free to run around hundreds of pumpkins.

Tiny baby belly :)
Beautiful flowers - we love fall! I had a really cute little fall outfit and hat for her to wear, as I was thinking a long time ago about this trip. Unfortunately (or fortunately) the temperature was in the 80s, so we couldn't wear the outfit and of course she didn't need a hat! We had a great time, and especially enjoyed the apple cider.

Second Trimester!!

I hit 13 weeks so apparently from my iVillage weekly update, I'm in the second trimester or the "honeymoon phase" of pregnancy! Well, that sounds good.

We had a great day! We went to mass this morning, then had to say a prayer to St. Anthony because I had misplaced the camera. Luckily, he came through and we found it! We went to two pumpkin patches today and got some great pictures, which I will post tomorrow. Madeleine LOVED them - she gets so excited when she sees pumpkins and she loves apple cider. We came home and we both took a two hour nap, which was fabulous. Then we went to mom's house to watch the last part of the Colts game - and they won by a mile. Then Ken and I got some great new verizon phones. We switched from sprint since a bunch of our friends and my parents switched and I was going over every month in my minutes, plus I could only get sprint coverage in one spot in my house and I wasn't very happy about it. I love my new phone (and my new unlimited text messaging!)

I got pretty sick when I got home (so much for the "honeymoon phase") but I feel better now.

Beautiful days

We've been enjoying this beautiful weather SO much. Madeleine LOVES to play in the front yard with all her great freecycle toys. After a few time outs she has mostly learned to stay away from the street and not go in the neighbors' yards. It's SO much fun to sit out there with her.

We have a really fun weekend planned. We're going to visit my Grandma tomorrow morning, then go to the pumpkin patch. Oh the poor kid is getting a flu shot too, hopefully getting a pumpkin will help her forgive me a little :) Then we'll have a great Colts party at Grandma's house (Madeleine's grandma) on Sunday. I love weekends.

I'm feeling pretty good. I had lots of good days this week, and today was a little rough but it's ok. The hard days are getting fewer and farther between. I had a great doctor's appointment yesterday. I saw the doctor who delivered Madeleine - she is my main doctor now. I got switched to her from the guy who told me to be on the pill for 3 months - thank God! She was so excited to see me, and said she would never forget me, because I was the only person she'd met who said they were ready to have another baby the day she had the first baby in the hospital! I love her! I got to hear the heartbeat and it was great. She said she's a happy little squirt, and very active. That seems to be the trend. I am hoping this one is a better sleeper - please God! I have one more regular monthly appointment at the beginning of November, then she said two or three weeks later we'd schedule my ultrasound - so we can see if she is REALLY a girl. I can't wait! That should be right around Thanksgiving.

I am off to bed!

Pictures!

My friend Jenny says I've been slacking with the pictures lately, so here's what we've been doing the past few weeks....

Buckling her buckles (she could seriously do this ALL day!) What is the draw? Is it the sense of accomplishment? Is it the satisfying "click?" I don't know, but she's a buckling fool.
Taking a hike with daddy. This is one of her favorite things to do - that and throw rocks into the little stream at this park.
Having fun with Ava at the gelato store - they have TONS of dairy-free flavors! We like lemon.
What happens at Grandma's, stays at Grandma's. Let's just say this kid can say the word "popsicle" perfectly.

We're going to watch the debate now. I saw a major contradiction today in the Whole Foods parking lot. There was a car with two bumper stickers. The first one said "Overtaxed small business owner." The next one said "Obama/Biden." OOOOOkkkkkkaaaayyy..... Good luck to THAT guy!

Also, I cooked dinner tonight - AND ate it! That is a major accomplishment :)

I had a good post in my head

Yesterday I hit 12 weeks and Madeleine hit 19 months. But I spent most of the day praying to the porcelain god, so the post did not happen! I'm still praying for all your intentions :) And I do see the light at the end of the tunnel now - I know I'll feel great in less than a month. Then I can just start worrying about the election...

I talked to Grace (the 9 year old I watch) about the election today. She asked me who I wanted to win and I said "McCain, of course." She said her mom wanted him too, but she didn't really care. So we had a little discussion. I asked her if she knew what abortion was, and she said yes, it's when moms can kill babies before they are born. (Good Catholic school she goes to.) I told her that McCain wants to stop this, but Obama wants to make sure that anyone can do it. She could not BELIEVE that someone would actually WANT that - or vote for Obama when they knew that. That's right, kid. Then later she asked me if Obama wanted to do anything else. I told her that he wanted to raise our taxes so we have to pay more of our money to the government and not get to keep it and choose how to spend it ourselves. She couldn't believe that either. She said, "WHAT? So we won't have a nice house or nice things?" Well...... we'll see about that. I didn't want to scare the kid TOO much :) I am pretty sure that our kids will be pretty politically savvy early in life, thanks to my husband. That is ok. I've learned a lot from him over the past 8 or 9 years! He seriously knows EVERYTHING about politics. He can recall speeches from many years ago, and he's GREAT at arguing with liberals.

We had our music class today - I take Madeleine and Ava every Monday morning. Madeleine LOVES it, and picks everything up really fast. Ava likes it sometimes, is indifferent sometimes, and doesn't want to be there sometimes. Today I thought we were all going to get kicked out. First of all, there are several autistic kids in the class. One kid basically sits in the corner and cries the whole time, every class. Today, Madeleine was walking around handing out instruments. She tried to hand one to this kid, and he absolutely freaked out. He started screaming and crying and swinging at her. Then he sat in the corner and screamed and cried for the rest of the class. I apologized to the mom, and she said she was just trying to hand him a toy so it was ok. Then she didn't understand why he was crying, so she kept trying to go over to him, and he kept trying to hit her! Finally I had to hold her on my lap and try to distract her, but she was really interested in this kid. Plus, Ava has to sit ON my lap the entire class. Next to me will not do. Then Ava almost kicked a 4 month old baby in the head with her big feet. I was glad when the class was OVER.

I'm going to try to post some pictures and recent videos in the next few days. Right now I'm going to go back to not eating anything and trying to psych myself up to take my vitamin.

Is anyone else impressed by this??

Madeleine drew this ALL BY HERSELF. Does anyone else see a reindeer? Eye in the right place, nose, feet, antlers!!! I couldn't believe it. Now when she wants to draw, she says "Draw Reindeer!"

Just a quick post before the debate

She looks like she could be a girl, don't you think? :) It's really AMAZING how much she's changed in just two weeks. This time we could see her face, eyes, hands, feet, etc. So cute! And just a tiny little miracle.

And Madeleine's new cozy jammies she got today. They are 2T! (And obviously huge on her, but I wanted them to fit her all winter!)
Good luck Sarah Palin!!!! I'm off to watch the debate!

Ultrasound results

Everything looked good! They said they could see where the hemorrage was, but it looked much better and would take some time to heal completely. She said I could resume all normal activities. I got some GREAT pictures but I waited too long in the day to try to take a picture with my camera, so I'll try again tomorrow. It's really AMAZING how much this baby has changed in just two weeks! Now we could see a face, arms, legs, hands, fingers, feet, toes. The baby was moving all around too - they said it's an active one, and about 2 1/2 inches long.

So, my mom and Madeleine came with us, and the regular ultrasound technician was there, and also a new one they had just hired who was learning how to use the machine. She was an experienced technician, just new to the office and the machine. So after they had been looking at the baby for a while, I just jokingly said, "So, does it look like a boy or a girl?" I mean, I thought for sure they couldn't tell at 11 weeks! The first technician said, "If I had to choose, and don't hold me to this, I'd say it was a girl." Right then she decided to spread her legs wide, and they got a good view. The other technician said, "Oh I'd bet money on that baby's sex." WOW! I'm not going to get my hopes up TOO much yet, but I have to say it definitely looked like Madeleine's "girl" ultrasound! We'll have to check for sure at the next one in about 6 weeks or so.

But.... I'd LOVE to have another girl! I never had a sister and always wanted one. I'd love for Madeleine to have a sister close in age. Plus, we'd certainly be all set on clothes. AND, I'd still have some slight hope that a boy pregnancy would be easier than a girl pregnancy! Can you tell I'm just THRILLED?????